Living up to our responsibility - Evonik is stepping up its corporate responsibility activities

• First extensive Corporate Responsibility Report published
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) confirms classification as
  application level B
• Evonik has joined the United Nations Global Compact

Essen. Evonik Industries AG today published its first extensive Corporate Responsibility Report showing how it accepts its responsibility for its business, its employees, society and the environment, even in periods of economic difficulty. The report is based on the guidelines issued by the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), which are the internationally recognized standard for extensive sustainability reporting. GRI has confirmed that Evonik’s first full report meets the criteria set for application level B, which is its second highest classification level.

Dr. Klaus Engel, Chairman of Evonik’s Executive Board comments: “We will be consistently strengthening our dedication to corporate responsibility.” As a step towards this, the company signed the United Nations Global Compact this summer. The aim of this voluntary global initiative is to foster social commitment in the corporate sector. Engel explains the reasons for joining the United Nations Global Compact: “As an industrial corporation with worldwide operations, we want to play our part in increasing the sustainability and fairness of the global economy. We are therefore firmly committed to implementing the ten principles of the Global Compact.” To assure this, Evonik introduced a Global Social Policy in summer 2009. This sets out the social standards to be applied by the Group worldwide. Evonik also makes a substantial contribution to sustainable development through its commitment to the chemical industry’s Responsible Care program.

The Corporate Responsibility (CR) strategy introduced in fall 2008 established the basis for integrating sustainable, forward-looking conduct even more closely into all areas of the Evonik Group. Evonik’s CR strategy takes up megatrends such as Energy Efficiency, Globalization & Demographic Change and Health & Wellness as well as ecological and social challenges. New business activities are developed on this basis, enabling Evonik to play a role in the sustainable development of society. “The basic preconditions for that are our innovative ability, technological competence and good cooperation with customers,” stresses Engel.

Evonik already offers its customers high-quality products and solutions that help reduce the consumption of natural resources, make more efficient use of energy, cut CO2 emissions and improve the quality of life.

Electric vehicles for sustainable mobility

One promising innovation from Evonik is the flexible ceramic membrane SEPARION®. This technology helps make large-scale lithium-ion batteries safer, more powerful and more durable, for example, for use in hybrid and electric vehicles that save resources. Together with Daimler, Evonik is preparing to start industrial-scale production of high-performance batteries for autos and commercial vehicles. Serial production of electric and hybrid cars with Evonik technology is scheduled to start in 2012.

Efficient energy supply

Evonik also has proven technological expertise in the construction of hard-coal power stations. Its biggest investment project at present is the construction of a 790 MW power plant fired by hard coal in Duisburg-Walsum (Germany). In 2010 Evonik and its partner, the Austrian energy and environmental services company EVN, will commission Europe’s most advanced hard-coal power plant with efficiency of over 45 percent. When operating at full capacity, this power station will require around 20 percent less fuel and emit around 20 percent less carbon dioxide than current hard-coal power stations of the same class.

Living in the community

Evonik’s Real Estate Business Area is pioneering new developments as well. Multi-generation housing is a future-oriented concept that creates new community living structures as a response to demographic change. Evonik has already undertaken several projects in this field, which involved extensive consultation with tenants in the planning phase. Playgrounds, quiet zones and barrier-free housing are key elements in the multi-generation concept.

The Corporate Responsibility Report “Living up to our responsibility” can be downloaded in the Internet at www.evonik.com/responsibility.